Spoken For
by Blonde Shadowcat
Summary: Hermione get's kidnapped by Lucius Malfoy, and is taken to Voldemort's headquarters. She lookes to Snape for help, but it doesn't work the way she thougth it would. Told in Hermione's POV.
1. Prologue

Hi all!

For those of you who know the stories I've written so far, I can't say whether or not you'll recognize this style. I don't think I use it often. You'd also know that I haven't been on fanfiction for like...a year, maybe?? lol. Hey, the schoolyear's out, and I finally have free time, so yay for not being swamped with physics. So yeah, I look back on the writing I did last year and stick out my tongue with disgust at it's averageness. I still like my subject matter, but it just seems completely and poorly written. Ick.

Also if you've read anything else of mine you'd know that this is my first Harry Potter fic. Yessss. I'm a wreched and accursed HPfic newbie. So live with it. I can only get better if I have a starting point, okay??

So bear with me, be honest in your criticisms, but please keep it kind, so not as to scare me into forever excluding myself from the HPfic world.

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Do you know why I hate Diagon Alley? Because it's so frightfully easy to get kidnapped in. When I say "kidnapped", I mean stolen, taken away, vanishing from the spot you were a millisecond before, without anyone noticing. It's surprisingly easy to do in Diagon Alley. And you'd think that, with all those administrators, wizards, and parents strolling about as they pick up their tike's school supplies, some of those shady warlocks would know better than to try anything that stupid.

Wrong.

First of all, I do take the blame for it. I mean, my curiosity really has gotten to be a problem. It certainly hasn't lead me into any…safe situations in the past, and it only endangers either myself, Harry, or Ron. But do I ever listen to that perfectly understandable left part of my brain that tells me to get my arse out of there? Of course not. I always have to check. Why do I always have to check? Harry didn't _ask_ me to go looking for information on his little horcruxes. I volunteered for it. Well, scratch that. I didn't exactly _tell_ him that I'd be helping him out by sneaking around in shady places like Nocturne Alley. And I had good reason, too. He would have gotten all protective and everything, saying how I could get seriously hurt, injured, or _kidnapped_.

Well, congratulations Harry, one of your symptoms of paranoia has finally paid off. But did I listen? Why didn't I listen!? Oh, he's going to be so mad at me. Mad for endangering myself. Mad at himself for letting me endanger myself. He didn't even want Ron and I to help him at all with this whole horcrux thing, just so that the two of us would stay out of harm's way…

Now I feel bad.

Not that getting abducted in the first place made me all cheery and bubbly inside. Especially when your abductor is none other than Lucius Malfoy. I don't know what it is about him that creeps me out. I hate Draco to the point of homicide, but his father…he has something about him that just…makes looking him in the eye the very last thing I'd want to do.

And it's not like I was lured into some clever little trap by him, either. I wasn't like some raccoon that became magnetically awed by shiny colors and goggled across a trail of glitter into a dark and suspicious corner before being trapped by a giant box triggered with string. Very much the opposite. It was me and my determined will to help Harry. I love the boy. I'll say it now. I'd do anything for him, and I'm pretty sure he knows it. Which is probably why he didn't want Ron or me on this little Voldemort escapade. And he probably knew I was going to pull a stunt like this, too.

Why don't I listen? I follow the rules all the time; why can't I do it now, when "the rules" are the ones which ensure my survival into the next day? Those rules some would call streetwise common sense, but to others who think bravery is more powerful than the odds against them, this common sense has no meaning, and their string of boundaries become thinner and thinner with each passing death that happens to those they know and love.

It's sad, really, how such sadness and pain can lead to such a loss of reason. I mean, look at me! It's way too late for me to be pondering how I could have handled this better. I acted stupidly and naively. We all do it, don't we? Can't Lucius cut me some slack? I wasn't bothering him! Not snooping, not researching, not delving into the possibilities which a certain object could be potent, and of _course_ I wasn't memorizing the faces of every shady trader on the lane, no! I wasn't looking for any trouble, and definitely wasn't looking to draw attention to myself. Especially not to him.

And even though my last attempt at finding information at Nocturne Alley was…a little less than a miserable failure, I was somehow confidant that I could find some sort of important revelation regarding these stupid horcruxes. Wrong again. Is optimism really an ally to me in this case? I'm starting to think it really isn't. Was it wrong to want to find just an inkling of a clue to Harry's puzzle, to see his face light up in the way it only does when he's beginning to figure something out that we'd never thought of before? How can that be wrong? How can you blame me for trying?

Lucius didn't blame me for trying.

Oh God. Don't make me think about it. Please don't. He's so smug with his 'pureblood this' and his 'mudblood that', I wonder why in all this world he felt the need to put my life in his cold hands. Well, it's not too hard to figure out, I guess. The best friend and possible girlfriend of the Boy Who Lived, I mean come on….I suppose _some_ attack on my life or Ron's was to be expected. But now? Of all times, now?? Ugh, leave it to a Malfoy to ruin your life in just the right moment.

And him! Why was he the death eater on the prowl on Nocturne Alley that night? Why couldn't it be someone a little more on the…Crabbe and Goyle side? Someone who would be a little less aware that a Hogwarts student was nosing her way through a dark arts market? But no. It had to be him.

I've seen the way he's looked at me before. His stare is one of those kinds that make you want to fold your arms even more closely around your chest, even though you already have tons of layers on. A stare that tells you that he's undressing you with his eyes. If there's anything I hate it's the defenselessness of a person to someone else's mind. I can't change what sick fantasies he conjures for himself, no matter how much I try to physically cover what he already can't see. It's sickening, and more than anything, it scares me. He has that demeanor about him that says that he's raped a woman before, is proud of it, and would do it again. It used to enrage me, but when you're subjected to that very stare, especially when he has you cornered and you know you can't get away, you don't only begin to wonder, you _know_ you're his only concern.

Yes, he somehow managed to get me into some dark corner, then stunned me. I guess I wasn't much better than that raccoon after all. He looked at me with that terrible smile, and pointed his wand directly at my face. I didn't even hear the incantation before my whole world went black.

I said I didn't want to talk about it. But I guess I'll have to now, since I have no idea where I am, no idea what's going to happen to me, and I pray to God Lucius isn't there when I open my eyes.

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I won't be as bad at updating this time. Promise. Reviewwww!! It makes me happy!


	2. Solomon's Parable

Yes!

I told you I'd update properly. You have to know my history of bad-updatingness to realize this wonderful achievement. :D

_**Notwritten- **__Thanks! I hope you like this next one. ___

_**Byakugan Fighter- **__I don't know how soon the Hermione/Snape will get here, but I hope this chapter's long enough! _

_**Kopiikat- **__Thank you! I was hoping it wasn't too "Catcher in the Rye", but you reassured me that it wasn't bad at least. _

_**HRInuyashaFan16- **__I hope interesting is a good thing, so here's more of it!_

Oh, and when you see italics, it's whatever Hermione's thinking at that moment.

* * *

My body jerked. My eyes flew open. Something was disturbing my movements. I abruptly awoke. My arm was held tightly in Lucius' grasp, and his other arm was around my waist. It confused me. _Why is he touching me? _My eyes rolled. My head was killing me. _Where am I?_ His grip was strong, but I wasn't fighting. I was still bewildered. My vision was blurry, with fluorescent spots bespeckling my view of the dank hallway before me. It didn't matter where I was yet; all I cared about was straightening my vertigo.

I groaned in frustration, but my focus wouldn't obey. I slumped slightly as my knees buckled against the man. I wished I hadn't moved anywhere closer to him, but my senses were taking too long to return. The first feeling that fully connected was the throbbing pain in my head. Once I closed my eyes and opened them again, I was at least able to register what was going on.

"You alive, mudblood?"

I growled poutily at him. Hey, it was the best I could do.

"What the…where are we?"

It hadn't sunk in yet. I really don't think I understood what was happening. I was able to see clearly now. He was smiling.

_Stop it!_

He was angering me with that look of his, but scaring me. It took awhile to realize that I was alone. When it clicked my eyes widened and I made my first attempt at escaping.

"N-no," I mumbled, after looking around, "You can't do this…" I must have forgotten my previous statement, for the next question slipped out without my knowledge. "Where are we?"

"That's no concern of yours."

It was all stone. Stone? Where could they possibly have found a place that was as ancient as this? Catacombs? I have no idea, but it was old, and looked pretty haunted. I'm sure old Voldy loved that. I felt like we were in the basement of some old and abandoned monastery. Either that or a violent contortion of one. Gothic architecture, arched doorways, creaking old wooden doors on their rusty old hinges. Trademark Voldemort. And I was pretty much freaking out on the inside, even though my outward countenance was nothing short of dumbfounded shock.

"What are you doing??" I pressed my weak hands against his arm, to try and push him away. Why didn't I have any energy? Whatever he hit me with, whatever it was that knocked me out, it hit me hard. It had to have drained most of my strength with it. I was dying to know what he used on me, so that I could shove the same spell on him on some fine day when he felt like strolling through Nocturne Alley. The symptoms made me feel sick to my stomach, and what mainly kept me moving was the idea of making him feel the same wretchedness.

_Wait. I'm moving?_ And I was. He was leading me. I didn't even realize he was making me walk with him. He was dragging me alone the dark stony hall.

"Stop," I complained, like a pouting child, "where are you taking me?"

"To see the Dark Lord," he replied simply.

_Then_ I began to freak out. "Whooa no," I muttered quickly. I suddenly had a surge of energy return to me. That fight or flight thing really is true. If you know you're in a dire situation where you need to either run or fight back, you do either one with full force. I seemed to manage both during my little frenzy.

He held me to him easily. I hate to admit it, but he was strong! His hand roamed my lower thigh if I got too violent. It made me stop fighting just so that he wouldn't touch me. But he didn't stop. I squirmed and shoved as he continued to drag my resisting form across the hallway. I was near ready to bite him to free myself when he pushed my back through a huge wooden door.

My body spilled out onto the other side while Lucius glided gracefully in. Not after he collected a retreating Hermione from the marble floor. He yanked my arms up, and the rest of me followed unwillingly. I kept kicking, scratching, clawing at him. He seemed to be enjoying himself. I tried to scream, but I only let out my furious fear in gasps of girlish rage. I was so busy struggling with him that I didn't see who was behind me. I heard a soft, cold chuckle that made my spine shake. I stopped in mid-swipe and slowly turned my head around.

Lord Voldemort sat regally on his throne. It was obviously not his to begin with, and probably belonged to the church they were disorienting. But it was his now, and he demanded every attention.

There weren't many death eaters in the vast room. Only a few, going about their regular business and all. But standing closest to Voldemort stood my potions teacher. Great. Here's the man who killed, no, murdered one of the greatest wizards of all time, and he stood before me, all calm and collected. I wanted to scream at him, hit him, hex him, _something,_ but all I did was avoid his gaze. I couldn't describe the look on his face, for I had no idea what it meant. It was like a mixture of confusion, shock, and anger. Anger? _Why should he be angry at me? It's not like I was the one who betrayed everyone I once knew._ Oh, how I wanted to hex him. But he was just a death eater when put at the right hand side of Lord Voldemort.

Saying I was surprised to be shoved into his presence would have been an understatement. I was scared stiff. I had no idea, not even a clue as to why I had been brought here. _Am I a hostage? Are they going to kill me to get close to Harry?_ Oh no, that's the last thing I wanted. To go and get killed as a little pun in the gigantic war that was wizardry. I wanted to live, and very much so. So I figured I'd keep my mouth shut. The dark lord spoke calmly and coldly. It made the hairs on my arm stand on end, and my insides shivered.

"You had a request I see, Lucius?"

"Yes, my lord," Lucius replied humbly. I waited for someone to speak.

"And?"

"Your permission, my lord. To take this girl and do with her as I wish."

My stomach squirmed. _No, please no…_

Before either person had the opportunity to answer, Snape's voice arose from his silent somber. It was shocking, really. I hadn't the slightest expectation that he'd even say anything. But he was furious. As if he had been trying to hold back his anger ever since Lucius had stepped into the room.

"My lord, I have to object to this!"

His outburst shocked me. _Why does he care? He's a filthy traitor, that's all he is…_

Voldemort turned to Snape, slightly surprised.

"Make that reason known, Severus."

"She's too close to Potter. Your majesty said so yourself that women closely connected with him were not to be abducted until further into the war, when it would hurt most--"

"Why should you care, Snape?" Malfoy cut in.

"You can't just pluck the girl off the streets, Malfoy, they're bound to have some extravagant search party, and put us all in jeopardy!" Snape said.

"Stay out of this, Severus. I found her, so I get to--"

"No, you don't. She's off limits."

"And why do _you_ get to make such a statement?" Malfoy was beginning to get annoyed. Snape was seriously starting to cut into his 'sexual assault' time, which I could tell really got on his nerves.

"Are you so dense as to make me repeat myself?" Snape said coldly, "The dark lord doesn't want women too close to Potter."

"Why do you think I dragged the child here? I came for permission."

"She's too valuable. They'll come looking for her. You should have thought of that before you decided to let your dick get in the way of our plans."

Malfoy's face contorted in anger. Snape and he had gotten into arguments before, but they were never as serious as this, at least not to Lucius. He was blatantly insulting him now, and that really ticked him off. But he ignored his frustration, and let his poker face wash over the wrinkles of anger that spread across his features.

"Let them look for her. Let them look all over London. They won't find her."

He sneered as he clutched me tighter. I adjusted my weight so that I was furthest away from his lower regions as physically possible.

Snape seemed to calm down a bit. What Malfoy said must have reassured him. _He doesn't even care about what Lucius is going to do to me…all he cares about is him and his stupid death eaters' safety._

"Well then," Snape resumed, "do you plan on killing her when you're finished?"

The question itself made my jaw drop. This was my teacher. My _teacher_ was casually asking a murderous rapist if he wanted to kill me after he was through with my assault. I couldn't recover from the sheer shock of it all to even become angry.

"Actually," Lucius paused, running his hand, finger by finger, across my neck, and clutched my jaw from beneath, forcing me to look at him. I couldn't tell if my own expression was fearful or furious. I was feeling both, but I'm pretty sure the fear overrode the fury.

"…I'm not quite sure if I will," he looked up to Snape. I was so glad he did, for his eyes terrified me more than Voldemort's. He looked back at me, and I winced. He looked me up and down. I know all too well that he'd gotten good looks at me before, but now had the liberty to look closer, and it made my limbs itchy to squirm out of his hold. "Perhaps I could have more fun with her than I planned…"

"No."

I turned to look at Snape, dumbfounded beyond belief. It was short, but it cut the air like a knife. Snape's face was hard set.

"And why is that?"

"I didn't want it to have to come to this, Lucius, but you can't have her," Snape said evenly.

"And why the hell not?"

"Because she belongs to me."

My eyes felt like they'd pop out.

"WHAT??" I blurted out, my face incredulous. No one acknowledged my comment. Lucius bore his anger fully now; he didn't try to conceal it.

"She doesn't belong to you!"

"Yes, she does."

_What is he saying?What the hell is he--?_

"Since when? You can't claim prisoners."

"I requested her personally, long before you set your sights on having your own way with her." Snape snapped coldly. My mouth was hanging open, with my head swishing violently from Malfoy's face to Snape's. I couldn't believe it. _No. No. Noooo, this isn't happening._

"You lie." Malfoy growled.

"Ask your master," Snape said coolly, gesturing to Voldemort at his side. Wait a minute. Voldemort. _Why isn't he saying anything? Why is he just sitting there and watching them fight over who gets to assault someone??_ But Voldy didn't say a word. If anything, he was thinking. Thinking. Oh, what a deep subject! It's as if I was like that child in that Solomon story in the Bible, where two mothers come before him claiming the kid as their own. I did hope that the dark lord wouldn't use the same tactic as Solomon used. I mean, if Solomon says, 'cut the child in two,', then the true mother would give the child to the fake mother to save its life. No. If Voldemort told them that, they'd be all for it, with their wands ready and a pitiful me stuck with having to be cut in half. Well, I would be dead, too. Snape's voice cut off my straying train of thought. And it really was straying; I think being affronted with such a life-changing situation does tend to make your mind go insane for a little bit.

"I made this arrangement years ago." Snape said.

I don't know if I was back to reality or not. This was just too weird. My potions teacher. Oh my God, this is my _potions teacher_!

"My lord, is this true?" Lucius was almost yelling. I was almost getting fearful for him, since he was talking so…disrespectfully, if you will, to his master. I feared the evil wizard would leave him for dead in an instant. But he didn't.

"Yes," the dark lord said, still deep in thought, "Severus did mention her. I told him three years ago that he could have her," Malfoy widened his eyes as if to say 'So??', to which Voldemort read and replied, "And that no one else could have rights to her."

"Rights?" Lucius glared at Snape, "You can't just--"

"Give me the girl, Malfoy,"

"She isn't yours," he snapped, forgetting completely what his master had just told him.

"She was mine before she turned fourteen," he said lowly. Lucius looked mad. I had the feeling that he would haul off and beat me to a pulp right there. Don't know why. People just get that look in their eye that reveals every way they'd like to kill you.

"You can't have it all," Snape went on, "Find someone else."

"I don't want someone else, Snape!" He was almost screaming now. "You don't know how long I've waited to take her! I've wanted her for several years now! You can't just claim her with the flick of your wand!"

"I already did."

"No you--"

"Lucius," Voldemort hissed, "do you wish to go against my judgment?" I gulped. His voice was threatening, and I knew he'd make Malfoy regret it if he didn't clap his trap.

"No. No, of course not." He bowed extremely low as he said this, and dragged my aching self down with him. It was then that I realized how sore I was from making such a fuss. "I'm very sorry, master."

"She belongs to Severus," he continued, the threat in his voice not anywhere near gone, "I already made this decision."

Malfoy got up from his bow. _Finally! _It was about time. My neck was killing me, and I was sure none of it was going to feel any better soon. I looked around, but Lucius held onto me still.

"Malfoy. The girl."

He held out his hand. Oh, so he was just going to hand me off. Alright. Fine. I'm a freaking hot potato.

Malfoy hesitated, and began to draw me closer. _Don't do that…he just said…_

"Give me the child, Malfoy." Snape's face was so cold. It was frightening. I knew, oh I _really_ knew that I didn't want to be alone with Malfoy, but with the way Snape was looking at me, I was about to drop dead right there. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to kill me on the spot.

With an angry grunt Malfoy threw me on the ground before my potions teacher. I was completely surprised by the violent quickness of it all, and I landed harshly on the marble floor beneath me. I landed on my wrist, and oh God, did it hurt. I felt a searing pain shoot into it, and I held my arm close to me, somehow thinking that would help it. In my confusion I kept my head down, and my face traced the intricate linings on the floor. _Ooooow…_

"The mudblood's probably a slut anyway." I heard from behind me. It was Lucius' voice. "Take her. Enjoy yourself."

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Review!! It makesame happy! 


	3. My Prison

Heeeeeeeeey.

Summer school sucks. I know that I don't want to take these courses in the school year, and getting them out of the way now is awesome, but does American Government and P.E. HAVE to be required classes!? NO. They're both terrible. Terribly easy, I must admit, but terrible to sit through. But alas, my public humiliation of sucking at sports ended long ago, which would have led me to continue my story.

But then the Seventh Harry Potter book came out.

Then I had to read that and all, but I now have to claim this story as AU and also that it takes place BETWEEN the sixth and seventh book.

Now that we've gotten that cleared up…

* * *

Before I could chance a look at him, Snape grabbed my arm roughly, shoving me upward from the ground. My breath hissed as I inhaled deeply. He had yanked on the arm I had just landed so gracelessly on. I must say I did a pretty good job of ignoring the pain from then on; I had worse to worry about.

He dragged me with him through the gigantic doors through which I was pushed minutes earlier. He turned a sharp left as soon as we exited the room, taking me down the long hallway I had started in. I got a better look at my surroundings now. The building really was beautiful, castlelike, even; but mainly because of all the stone. I could tell by the dampness clinging to the walls that the place was underground. Does Voldemort always have to have his places make you feel like you're living in a dungeon? But the hallway itself was dark, dank, and gave off that eerie glow that told you that you _definitely_ were not in Kansas anymore.

I was hoping I would experience that lovely commonplace scenario in which you feel like mere minutes feel like hours. That would have been helpful, since I was panicking so badly. Some time to my own psyche would have been great; I could ponder my life and all, wondering if I fully lived my life, and thinking of some elaborate plan to escape.

But no. Instead, it was the exact opposite. It seemed like I had no time to even remember a defensive spell before he stopped me at a door. He swirled his wand, and I heard a little click. He opened the door and shoved me in, closing and locking the door behind him.

Needless to say, by now I was fully freaked. My situation hadn't gotten better at all; I only swapped one rapist for another. But then again, this one wasn't going to kill me.

_But Lucius said he didn't want to kill me, either…_

I shuddered. Neither alternative seemed to be in my favor. Well, neither of them were.

As soon as I had been thrown inside, he released my hold to padlock spell after spell on his door. Once I had been fully enclosed and locked in, he turned around. It's nothing to be proud of, but I acted instinctively when he let go of my arm. I had slunk to the opposite side of the room, as farthest away from him as physically possible. I expected him to retrieve me, upbraid me for attempting to flee, even when it was pretty obvious I wasn't going anywhere.

Instead he gave me that arrogant glare that I always received from him; that haughty look that always belittled and berated my self-esteem. I actually jumped when he spoke.

"Well, don't just sit there and cower; you look like a ruddy mouse."

It's terribly embarrassing, but I was. I really was. I had resulted to the childish attempt of clinging to his bedpost, trying to wedge myself between the headboard and his wall. It was my first impulse, impish though it was. I didn't reply.

"I was never able to shut you up before, and now you've suddenly lost your ability to speak?"

_Don't talk about Hogwarts…don't…_

"And stop staring. It'll get you nowhere."

He was getting irritated, that I could see. But his actions were confusing me.

"Surely you have something to say; I know you child, and you don't sit silently with ease," his gaze was icy; I hated that about him, how he was always so demeaning.

"You never could."

_Don't you dare assume to know me…_

"Well?"

"I have…nothing to say to you." I said little over a whisper.

"Liar." He said quickly. I jumped. I never knew I'd ever be this afraid of him, but sheesh, when you're put in this kind of situation…

"You're cowering again. Why must you wear that ignorant excuse of self defense; you act as if I'm going to beat you sensless."

My neck inched sideways, as if moving it would help me to get a better look at him.

"I…don't understand…"

"Come now, Granger, I thought you were the smart one." He rolled his eyes and walked casually to his desk, which was on the wall perpendicular to mine. I didn't look at what was on it, just that he was temporarily occupied. I reached for my wand; it wasn't there.

_Damnit…_

How the hell had he taken my wand? But, the more I thought about it, I didn't remember having it even when Lucius had me. Then again, I hadn't checked. I was in too much of a dither to do so. But Snape was looking for a reply. I stuttered vaguely as my hands flew from pocket to pocket, looking for that damned wand.

"I…I…"

"I have your wand, Granger." Snape said simply.

I huffed loudly, but immediately regretted doing so. As soon as I had, my hand was over my mouth. It was if it had been magnetically put there. I cleared my throat; now wasn't the time to get an attitude with my captor.

"What was that?" he said lightly.

"I don't understand," I said more clearly, trying to make sure he didn't hear my trickle of defiance.

"And now you're repeating yourself."

"But you—you just…"

"Just what?" he eyed me suspiciously, as if I was supposed to understand every little thing that went through his evil mind.

"You…took me."

I couldn't find any other way to put it, but it was true.

"That depends on the definition of the word," he said with another flick of his wand. Something happened, but I wasn't paying attention. "I haven't 'taken' you at all."

"But aren't you—going to?" I whispered, inching closer inside my hiding spot between the headboard and the wall.

"Did you think I was going to willingly let one of my students get raped and killed right under my nose?"

"I am NOT your student."

I said it before I could stop myself. My hand was tempted to cover my mouth again, but I clung to the bedpost instead.

"What, then? Did you honestly think that I was going to--" he stopped. His eyes quickly fled from my person, as if I had attempted to change my clothes in front of him.

"Well then," he said quietly, looking avidly at the wall opposite me, "That explains a lot."

His eyes rolled to the ceiling, and he turned his back to me, fiddling with the objects on his desk. He sat down in the chair next to it, doing who knows what with the things that laid on it. There was an entire potions set on there, now that I got a better chance to look. The more I looked at it, the more I saw. Actually, his desk was more like a table. Bottle after bottle after after potion; powders and bags vials and and stones and ingredients I'd never seen before littered the landing. It was surprisingly neat, with his cauldron sitting oh so gracefully next to the desk like a trash can would. Only a great deal larger, of course.

As you could see, if my attention span had been expired to the point where I was comparing his cauldron to a garbage dispenser, he had obviously stayed silent for quite some time. He spoke before I could examine the room further.

"Well Granger, you'll be happy to know that I have no intention of killing you."

My fear returned, viciously wrapping my throat in its tight vice.

"That…wasn't exactly my first concern." I said softly daring to look him in the face.

His eyebrows rose, but he continued. He looked me up and down with such speed that I thought he had blinked,

"Your…virtue is perfectly safe, as well." He said, looking away with his lips pursed, as if he was trying to refrain himself from saying something he shouldn't. My eyes may have been playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn I saw a change in the color of his cheeks…

"You mean you're not going to…"

"Of course not." He turned back to me, his expression under complete control again.

"But…why?" I stammered, slowly regaining my voice, "What was all that even _for_ then?"

"I don't know if you fully understand your other alternative, Granger," he said seriously. Too seriously.

"But I don't…"

"Don't what? Understand?" his snide attitude had returned as soon as it had left. "I think Lucius pretty much spelled it out for you. Go to his quarters, and see if you understand his point then."

"Don't mock me, Snape!" I fumed, completely forgetting why I had lost my power to speak. My temper rose, and I could feel my knuckles tighten against the wooden bedpost it clung to.

"I know what he was after, I just don't get why you'd go to all this trouble to save me from...from…" I trailed off with a choke, my cheeks suddenly aflame with a deep crimson.

"…that."

And as quickly as my voice came, it was gone again. I couldn't bare to say it out loud. And who would? Who would want to talk about how someone wanted you…sexually? Someone who was willing and ready to not only rape you, but _keep_ you. Keep you as theirs so that they may do to you as they please when they please. It confused and embarrassed me beyond my own understanding. The idea alone I hate to put into words. Saying it to a fresh captor who continued to treat me like a child was far from possible. So I had summed it up in one word: "That".

He spoke again. I didn't interrupt.

"Whether you like it or not, you _are_ one of my students, always will be, whether I teach at Hogwarts any longer or not. I've taught you for six years now; growing up won't change that."

At first I was confused, wondering why in the world he had said it. But then I remembered my previous attack on words: that I wasn't his student anymore. He went on.

"You're also a member of the order--"

"Why the bloody hell would you care about the order?" I burst out, my discretion gone. "You never cared about anyone because you're a filthy, sneaky, lying…"

"Traitor?" he said calmly.

"YES!" I yelled without restraint.

He sighed complacently, rolling his eyes again. He looked exasperated with me. He put his index finger and thumb to his forehead, letting them spread apart as he thought of the best way to say his next statement.

"You don't know, Granger…"

"What's there to know?" I said, fuming, "Let's see; first off, you killed Dumbledore--"

"Silence, girl. Do not talk of things that are too complicated for you to understand."

"Complicated?!" I screeched, "He did everything for you, he'd never hurt you like you did him, and he helped you when you needed it, and…"

"Watch your tongue, child," he glared at me coldly, letting some of his black hair fall into his pale face, "Don't test me."

But I didn't listen. I just went on. I didn't even notice him rise from his chair.

"You didn't even deserve it; you only took advantage of him, lied to him, betrayed him…"

"I said silence, girl!"

But I didn't listen. I was furious, mad, and I could feel the tears clinging to the corners of my eyes. They were about to fall, ready to fall…

"HE TRUSTED YOU," I screamed, the tears freefalling down my face, "We _all_ trusted you! He gave you everything and you treated him like--"

He was out of his chair, across the room, and right in front of me before I could blink. He grabbed my arm, yanked me from my hiding place, and took hold of my other arm in his other hand. With a jerk he pushed me violently against the wall I had been wedged against. My back thumped against it loudly, causing my head to throw back and bang against the hard surface. I could scarcely focus from the shock before I was looking into two pools of pitch black. I couldn't scream, I couldn't cry, I just cowered, whimpered, more frightened than I had ever been in my life.

"I said not to speak of it, do you hear me?" he said, his voice racked with fury. It was no louder than a whisper, but to me it was the same as if he had blown a trumpet in my ear, then beat me over the head with it.

His eyes were dark. So dark. I couldn't concentrate beneath him, his gaze, that fierce, angry, furious gaze.

_Stop it…stop…_

There was too much pain in those glassy orbs. I could hardly bear to look at them, but I couldn't stop. His eyes looked like his soul had been tortured by death itself. I couldn't look at them any longer. Not when he was looking at me like that.

"Please…" I whimpered, all dignity gone, "please stop…" the tears continued their downpour as I was finally able to look away. My neck craned to avert him, but he was just so close…

Before I could catch my shaky breath, I felt his weight lift from me. The second his vicelike hands released my arms I crumpled to the ground, curling my legs into me as I leaned all my weight against the wall. It was as if I hoped to dissolve into it, away from here, away from him, but I didn't.

He withdrew from me, his own breath shaking as violently as mine. He stared at his hands as if I had burned them. I looked at him fearfully, and he looked back at me, the former look in his eye gone. What I now saw was overflowing remorse which coincided with that burning sensation that made it look like I had physically scarred his skin.

"I'm…" now he was stuttering, "I'm sorry, Miss Granger." He looked away from my face, but looked to the spot on the wall next to me.

"It won't happen again," I heard him say quickly.

But I wasn't looking at him. I couldn't. It was too hard.

I was shaking. I had been for some time now. My hand covered my mouth again, in a futile effort to try and steady my movements. I looked him in the eye again, and immediately regretted it when he stooped down to me. He wasn't too close this time, but close enough to show the concern that his eyes had been screaming.

He put his hand on my shoulder, grasping it firmly. He took his other hand and removed my own from my mouth, which had now become a drainage system for my tears. I sniffed loudly.

"It won't happen again," he said calmly, "I'm not going to hurt you. That isn't why I brought you here."

I didn't believe him, and he knew it. I clenched my teeth together to try and restrain myself from crying further.

"You're going to have to trust me, Granger."

The look I gave him was just as fearful as the last one.

"I can't tell you certain things right now," his eyes were dark, and my own tried to hide from them, "but you need to understand that I am on your side."

I didn't even have the strength to give a skeptical "humph" in his direction. I just looked away, blinking dumbly. He rose from his perch at my side, releasing my hand and shoulder.

"Don't overanalyze it." He said solemnly, his voice now back to normal.

And with a sweep of his batlike cloak, he left me to collect myself. With a swish of his wand his door unlocked, he glided silently through it, and without a second glance at me, closed and locked it behind him.

As soon as the door gave its final 'click', the tears erupted from my eyes once more. I buckled into my legs, allowing my knees to support my head. I wanted to go home, to get away from here, to run away, to be anywhere, _anywhere_ but here…

I didn't care what he said to me. It didn't matter whether I believed his intentions were good or not. Whether _he_ was good or not. It was still a prison, and there was nothing he could say to change that.

* * *

REVIEW!!! It makesame happy!


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